Magic stirring in the blood
by Mrs. Sherlock Holmes
Summary: Our Dragonborn Mariel has just been named Thane of Hjaalmarch, and has been assigned a burly housecarl to do her bidding, but what the heck is she supposed to do with him? Rating this one M because I'm pretty sure our Dovahkiin and Valdimar will be getting their freak on at some point. Reviews encourage me to write faster! Just saying…
1. Chapter 1

**Our Dragonborn Mariel has just been named Thane of Hjaalmarch, and has been assigned a burly housecarl to do her bidding, but what the heck is she supposed to do with him? Rating this one M because I'm pretty sure our Dovahkiin and Valdimar will be getting their freak on at some point. Reviews encourage me to write faster! Just saying…**

"I name you Thane of Hjaalmarch, and assign you Valdimar as housecarl." Jarl Indgrod motioned towards a man standing in the shadow of the balcony. Firelight glinted in his honey colored eyes as he stepped forward.

Mariel's gaze swept him from bottom to top and back again in disbelief. This hulking Nord man, she had been assigned by the Jarl as housecarl (whatever that was), was practically a cave troll. He stood at least 7 feet tall with muscles bulging out from under his bear fur and chainmail armor. His face was covered in scraggly blonde whiskers, and his skin was bronzed and covered in thick patches of golden hairs. She didn't see a weapon other than the massive axe he had been using to chop wood just before the Jarl had called him inside. Sweat was dripping from his brow and pooling in the hollow of his neck. Mariel gave a slight shudder thinking about the smell of the matted fur around his neck.

There was no way she was going anywhere with him. He would absolutely ruin any stealth advantage she had, and that was her only real combat edge. Mariel was a 5 foot 2 inch tall, very lightly armored dark elf. Her skin was the color of slate, her hair hung in a long curtain of pale silver, and her eyes were solid black pools of darkness, giving her the appearance of a living shadow. She was not particularly strong or learned in magical arts, but she could slip silently among the shades of night, passing like an invisible spirit past the most watchful sentry, and her ebony tipped arrows flew like deaths own whisper. What on earth would she do with this clumsy beast clunking about at her heels?

"Mistress" The Nord spoke in a deep rumble, kneeling before her in the warm glow of the Jarl's longhouse. "I am at your service and will protect you with my life." From a hidden scabbard behind his back he drew a surprisingly fine silver sword, one of a pair she now saw, and held it out to her with his eyes downcast. Mariel hesitantly reached out a delicate hand and laid it on the Nord's head with a feather light touch. His hair was like corn silk, soft and smooth, cool to the touch like the wings of a night bird. She suddenly felt shame for her judgement of him and for her lack of compassion for one whose very life she had just been given as a careless gift. She took Valdimar's blade and pressed it to her own lips, saying a silent prayer to Azura for his safety. Where the blade touched her skin, she felt a strange energy, as though the metal was alive. She had no time to ask about the strange sensation though, as the Jarl's steward practically shoved them both out of the hall and into the snow.

Mariel kicked a black leather boot into the closest tree in frustration. She was tired of the Skyrim with its freezing snow and even colder receptions. The only place she wanted to be thane of was a hot bath in her own house, but that was hundreds of miles away in Morrowind, and who knew if she would ever see it again.

The hour was late and the sky was dark, but Mariel wanted to be off immediately. Valdimar begged her leave to gather his few possessions and prepare for their journey, which she readily gave. Mariel watched as he went to the rear of the longhouse and, to her amazement, crawled into a small windbreak made of thin sticks covered in mud, providing a crude and nearly useless shelter. Had Valdimar really been sleeping outside in this miserable weather? If she was shocked at this revelation she was utterly dumbfounded when she saw him emerge, neatly stack some items on a stump near the water, and then strip to his small clothes, plunging into the ice crusted waters of the Hjaal River. The man was insane. He would freeze to death. She ran over to the river bank in time to see a bright glow emitting from the water. The light was coming from Valdimar, who seemed to be enjoying his swim, and not turning into a Nordic ice cube as expected. She stared dumbfounded until he emerged from the water and changed into a set of dark brown leather light armor, this one had no fur and was very well made. He strapped his double silver swords onto his back and added a light pack filled with his remaining belongings.

"I am ready now my thane. Shall we go?" he asked without a hint of explanation as to why or how he had emerged from the icy water completely dry.

Mariel tried to hide her astonishment to keep herself from looking like a complete fool, but she couldn't help asking.

"Valdimar, how is it you aren't cold or even wet from the river?"

"Oh, that," he said looking somewhat sheepishly as they walked towards the stables "I, uh…know a few magic spells." He looked very nervous, as though he was confessing a terrible secret.

"I see, well that would explain it then." Mariel replied. She had very little spell knowledge herself, but being Dragonborn, had some natural magical talent. She had heard around Skyrim that a lot of Nords were afraid of magic, and shunned those who use it. Perhaps Valdimar was ashamed of his talent. Mariel decided that a little Thu'um demonstration was in order, but which one?

Mariel mounted her horse Orion and Valdimar his own Fergus, then proceeded north towards her newly purchased property. Once they were out of sight of Morthal she made a comment on the thick snow flurries that were blowing in their faces, half blinding them. Then, almost casually, she said the words for the clear skies shout.

"Lok, Vah, Koor."

Suddenly the snow stopped and the sky cleared to show a million stars before blooming into a brilliant emerald aurora. Valdimar stopped his horse, staring in wonder at the heavens.

"By Talos, what magic is this thane?" he whispered, turning the Mariel.

"I'm Dragonborn" she said, smiling "Dovahkiin, a mortal born with the soul of a dragon."

"Just like Talos!" Valdimar said with wonder.

"Yeah, I suppose. I'm still trying to figure it out myself. I just wanted you to know that magic was nothing to be ashamed of." She smiled and so did he. Valdimar lifted a hand into the air and from it came a blue glow that swirled and arched forming a sparkling fountain of ice. It twisted into the shape of a rose and he held it out to Mariel. She took it and made a show of sniffing at the icy bloom. They both laughed. Maybe this partnership would work out after all.


	2. Chapter 2

Valdimar nailed the last beam into place on the new stable while Mariel spread straw and clay on the roof to keep out the snow. Fergus and Orion snorted in what Mariel assumed was approval at their new lodgings as they grazed contentedly on hay. Valdimar wiped his brow and looked over at the small, but sturdy house they had completed earlier that day. It had plenty of room for expansion, but for now it would keep them warm and safe from nighttime predators. Valdimar had offered to sleep in the stable with the horses but Mariel had insisted that he take his cot inside. She shuddered at the thought of the rickety lean-to that had been his former residence in Morthal, and wondered again at the cruelty of the Jarl.

"We have a fine steading here my Thane." Valdimar said with pride. "Perhaps you will find the climate of Skyrim more bearable with your toes warming at your own hearth fire."

"It will certainly do me good to sleep in a warm bed without sharing the vermin of the last traveler." She chuckled, but also couldn't help scratching at her scalp with the memory of countless nights in filthy inns. "First though, let us find some supper."

"If you wish my Thane, I will go yonder to the seashore and see about catching us some fish." Valdimar didn't wait for an answer, but set off towards the Sea of Ghosts with a casting net slung over one shoulder. Mariel went inside the house to stoke the fire. Once she was done she did exactly as her housecarl had suggested, and sat in a chair with her stocking clad feet propped upon the hearthstones. She reveled in the utter bliss of warm toes for a few minutes before slipping into a light sleep. She woke a short time later to the sound of sizzling and the wonderful smell of fresh salmon frying in a pan.

Over the past week they had spent in travelling to and then building the house and stables, Mariel had learned several new things about her tall, soft spoken housecarl. For his size, Valdimar had an uncanny ability to move quietly when he wanted to. She did not know if this helped along by a spell, but she didn't think so. She had learned to observe him when he was casting and had noticed the subtle traces of his magical craft. His eyes, for example, took on a silvery glimmer when he concentrated on an illusion incantation, and his fingertips glowed different colors when he was preparing a destruction spell.

The most terrifying thing she had seen in her travels thus far had been when they were set upon by a necromancer and his evil spawn near an ancient barrow. Valdimar had seemed like a man possessed when he shot purple lightning from all ten of his fingers in a devastating blast that had instantly turned the abominations into dust. She decided at that moment to try never to anger her housecarl.

In utter contrast to this, she had seen him act unaccountably tender towards a little white rabbit they had come across, trapped in a snare. Valdimar had freed the animal and bound his leg in cloth, slipping the rabbit into his pack with a sheepish grin. Later Mariel had found him nestling the creature in a reed basket in front of the fire and hand feeding it cabbage leaves and bits of carrot. She had named him Odus, or "snowy" in the dragon tongue, and he was now a permanent resident or Windstad Manor.

Valdimar moved the cooked fish to wooden platters and served Mariel first before sitting down with his own meal and a mug of stout ale. They ate in silence, not having much energy left for talk after the day's work, and were snug in their beds before the moons rose.

Another week had gone by and Mariel was back to business as usual, and business was not going well. After speaking to the dragon Paarthurnax atop the Throat of the World, she learned that in order to defeat Alduin she would have to obtain an Elder Scroll. It seemed that the only place she could find out about how exactly to do that was the Mages College in Winterhold. Mariel had never been proficient at spells, only managing the most basic shields and illusion effects with ease. Her natural ability at Dragon Shouts was one thing, but that would not help her conjure a Flame Atronach as demanded by the guardian of the college. She tried talking her way in, but the Altmer sorceress named Faralda was firm. So now, here she sat on a freezing hunk of rock just outside town, straining her mind with her arms tensed out in front of her while Valdimar sat opposite her trying not to laugh at the faces she was making.

Finally he took pity on her and walked over to where she sat pulling at her hair in frustration.

"Can I help you my Thane?" he said gently pulling her to her feet and shaking her arms to loosen them. He stood behind her and adjusted her stance. "Imagine you are drawing a bow," he said and pulled her arms into a pantomime of an archery position. "Draw the magic back into yourself like drawing the bow string." He placed his hands on her belly and pushed firmly "Then, once the power has built" she felt a glow of heat where his hands touched, "…let go!" he shouted and side stepped out of her way. As he did so a flame shot from her fingers and swirled in mid-air a moment before forming into a red glowing figure, like living fire. It looped in the air for a few moments, gliding gracefully through the frosty air and then faded out. Mariel stood with her mouth hanging open in disbelief for a moment and then broke into a ridiculous happy dance.

"I did it!" She yelled loud enough to wake every draugr in Skyrim. "I actually did it!" She threw her arms around Valdimar and would have shrieked directly into his ear if she had been tall enough, but the top of her head only reached his armpit. The housecarl grinned and hoisted the elated elf onto his shoulders for a victory lap of Winterhold, their hysterical cheering drawing scandalized looks from the residents. The revelry continued until Valdimar tripped over something hidden in the snow and pitched them both headlong into a deep drift of the same. The now muffled laughing continued for a few moments until it was replaced by chattering teeth. Valdimar gained his feet first and helped Mariel up, dusting her off and retrieving their lost gear from the ground.

"Come Thane, let us go and find your Elder Scroll." He said with hearty slap to her back, nearly putting her back in the snow. They walked back up to the bridge where Faralda stood waiting with her arms crossed. Mariel executed a beautiful Conjure Flame Atronach spell and they were admitted to the college. After an obligatory first lesson with Tolfdir, Mariel managed to slip upstairs to the Arcanaeum and speak to the very grumpy librarian Urag gro-Shub. She listened to him rant and grumble for some time before he finally directed her to an elderly mage named Septimus Signus in a remote part of the Sea of Ghosts who might be able to help her find a scroll.

Valdimar was concerned about going that far out into the drift ice, which was frequently home to dangerous ice wraiths, but Mariel insisted that it was important that they find this mage. As the set out and began navigating the frozen sea, Valdimar, unable to shake a growing sense of dread, began a continuous litany of prayers to various gods for their safe passage.


End file.
